How To Buy Happiness
by TellAllYourFriends
Summary: A rich and successful Ginny Weasley receives a threatening letter in which she must hire an auror to protect her. PRE DH. [COMPLETE]
1. In Which Ginny Weasley Is Successful

A/N: I've been meaning to rewrite this story for a long time and finally I am doing it. I'm going to spread it out to many chapters and maybe change a few things but most of it is the same. After reading it again, I found a bunch of mistakes too. So here's the first chapter. Please review!

* * *

"Miss Weasley, there is another call for you on line 3." 

"Miss Weasley, here is some more fan mail."

"Miss Weasley, you need to sign this."

Ginny Weasley's life was full of twists and turns of good things and bad. Overall, she was rich and successful. What more could anyone want? She figured life was good for her.

After graduating from Hogwarts, Ginny lit on out of England and went down to Paris, thankful to finally be away from the place she had spent 17 years of her life. In Paris she got a part-time job, and started her own robe company. She designed her own clothing lines, and had them manufactured and later sold in her shop. They were a big hit in France and other wizarding wardrobe shops cut a few deals with her and she shot up out of the ashes to the top of the social latter.

She was invited to all the parties, and she mingled with all the people. She was quite generous with her money and donated it to different charities. She helped out her family by paying most off their debts, and bought her parents a nice house. After a few years traveling around Europe, she decided to move back to her hometown. She bought an expensive flat in the nicest wizarding community in the British area. Her company moved with her. She hired people to do all the hard work she once did. After all, Weasley Wardrobes was a very respected company name in the wizarding world.

Ginny was at the top of her world. What more could she want? The bullies from her childhood were now begging at her doorstep for any sign of recognition. She figured it was something like that saying… Living well is the best revenge. She had money, power, fame, fortune. She figured there was nothing more she needed.

During the Christmas holidays, her mother always had a party to invite family and friends for a get together. Finally, Ginny was in town for one. Reluctantly, she agreed to come. It had been almost over ten years since she had seen a lot of the people who would be there.

The whole family was delighted to see her again, and everyone was there. To Ginny, it was a nice treat to see everyone. Yet most of them had really aged. She met her sister-in-laws for the first time and even a few nieces and nephews. She couldn't believe how much she had missed over the years. There was one thing Ginny was eager to find out about.

She would search the Daily Prophet routinely to find any little headline about him, but over the years, talk about the great Harry Potter slowly declined. She beamed happily through the crowd scanning through the people for a glimpse of the untidy black hair she had come to love to see when she was younger. But it wasn't there.

She was swarmed by half-hugs of people she barely knew, people who just wanted to talk to the famous Ginny Weasley. After a while of it, she grew tired. Her face muscles were tired of the fake smile position they had been in for the past two hours. She later met up with her brother Ron, who had arrived late. She had been dying to ask him about Harry Potter.

His answers were short and limited. He said he was away on business. He said Harry had fulfilled his dream, to become an Auror. She knew Ron and Harry were still close. Ron said he loved seeing her again. She smiled and turned away. And then she ran into another group of people with the same mindless chatter.

She found her mother, to say her goodbyes and that she had to be going, she had a busy schedule. She left the party with the knowledge of what everyone had been doing the past ten years. Nothing that she really cared about.

And life went on for Ginny Weasley. The days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Business transactions went smoothly. Advertisements were advertised. And life went on.

"Miss Weasley, this note came in for you, and some of the staff has become concerned," said one of her consultants.

She looked up from her desk and snatched the paper out of his hand, scanning quickly through it. "Oh, toughen up," she said tossing the scrap of paper aside.

"Miss Weasley, I have alerted the officials and they think we should take some action."

She raised her eyebrows. "Ok?" she said, confused.

"We have come to the conclusion that you should be protected."

"It's just a little threat. It was probably some psychopath living on the streets," she said, giving a little chuckle. "Or else it's those other companies trying to scare me so I am distracted and can't prepare for fashion week. Hah. They are _so_ idiotic."

"Miss Weasley, the officials and I believe it is more than that."

"Whatever," she said concentrating back to her work.

"So we decided you need to be protected. We figured you should have someone with you in case of emergencies."

She looked up again. "And?"

"And so we decided the best person to assist you would be an Auror." She blinked. "So," he continued. "We found the best suited available Auror. He should be here in a little bit."

"Right. Whatever. Send him in when he gets here," she said waving her hand.

Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. "Come in," she called irritably. She was vigorously turning pages of a book filled with different fabrics. She heard the door open and close. "Hm," she muttered under her breath. "People trying to distract me during fashion week." She shook her head.

"Miss Weasley, this is the Auror I was telling you about." She took off her thin-rimmed glasses and looked up. She almost swallowed her tongue when she realized who was standing in front of her.


	2. In Which Draco Malfoy Moves In

"Miss Weasley, this is the Auror I was telling you about." She took off her thin-rimmed glasses and looked up. She almost swallowed her tongue when she realized who was standing in front of her.

Ginny blinked twice to try and process the image. She swallowed and looked back down at her work.

"Right, I guess I'll leave," her consultant said. She looked up to see a tall light-haired man. He was leaning on a desk behind him with his arms crossed over his chest, smirking.

"I was a bit reluctant to accept the assignment they gave me," he drawled.

"They why did you?" Ginny snapped quickly.

He chuckled, picking up a quill. "Well," he said, "you're rich now."

She rolled her eyes. "Typical Draco Malfoy, always in it for himself."

He smirked. "I guess so," he said quietly, putting the quill down.

"So how much are they paying you?" she asked folding her hands on her desk.

"It doesn't matter," he said shaking his head.

"Yeah, it does because it's coming out of _my_ pocket," she said.

"It's not like you don't have enough," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but it's not like you need it."

He smiled at her and she glared at him. She groaned in frustration. "How am I going to do this?" she muttered.

"You better get used to it," he called over his shoulder as he walked toward the door. "They're moving my things into your flat right now." He looked at her and walked out the door.

She screamed in frustration and banged her head on the desk.

An hour later she stepped out of her office, to find Malfoy leaning over her secretary's desk and Gertrude batting her eyes furiously. He looked up at Ginny as she walked out. She didn't acknowledge him and she stalked out of the room to ring the bell of the lift. Malfoy came up behind her folding a piece of paper and stuffing it into his jacket.

"Gertrude is a very nice girl, Malfoy," she said, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yes she is," he said.

"You should just leave her alone," she said raising an eyebrow to look at him.

He chuckled. "She's very pretty."

"She wouldn't date _you_."

"Anyone would date _me_, if they had the chance. Wouldn't you?"

"You're impossible," she scoffed as the door to the lift opened. She stomped in and he tried to follow her but she stopped him. "Sorry, I don't think there's enough room for your ego in here. Take the next," she said and the doors closed. They reunited at the bottom floor and he followed her all the way home; her stomping angrily in front and he walking casually behind.

She opened the door to her flat. "You can have the-" she began.

"Room at the top of the stairs," he finished.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said and stalked off to her room. He chuckled as he watched her go.

Ginny opened her eyes slowly at eight o clock the next morning. Saturday, she thought happily. She wrapped herself in a robe and made her way down to the kitchen. She stopped abruptly as she saw Malfoy sitting at the counter sipping some coffee and reading the paper.

"'Morning," he said raising his mug to her. She gave him a fake smile.

"'Morning," she imitated. He laughed and concentrated back on the paper. Ginny poured herself a cup and loaded it with cream and sugar. She took a seat across from Malfoy pulling out her fashion magazine and flipping impatiently through the pages.

He looked up at her. "Did you have a nice rest?" he asked

"Yes," she said shortly. She looked over at him twirling a feathered quill in his hands. "Can I have the headlines?" she asked.

He handed them to her and she snatched them. He looked up, laughed once more, and then went back to what he was doing. She peered over the pot of plants to see what page he had. Hmph, she thought, crosswords.

She folded the front page open and leafed through the pages as she did routinely every morning. They sat in silence for a while. All that was heard was the occasional scratch of a quill and the rustle of paper.

"Who's a writer like a skater with three e's?" Draco asked suddenly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Skeeter," she said. "Duh."

"Ah," he said, triumphantly. "Finished."

"Why do you waste your time on those stupid things?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I feel accomplished after I finish. So what do you want to do today?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you serious?" He nodded. She shook her head and turned to dump the rest of her coffee down the drain before making her way to the door. "I have work," she called behind her as she walked out of the kitchen.

He laughed. "Are you always this grouchy in the morning?" he called after her.

She spun around and narrowed her eyes. "I am _not_ grouchy," she said hotly.

"You must not be a morning person," he said.

"What do you know?" she said waving her hand. She went back up to her room and took a shower. She came down back to her office and opened the large windows to a beautiful view outside. She spread out her materials and began to work.

"Nice place you got here."

"Thanks."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." They sat in silence for a moment. Ginny concentrating on her work and Malfoy staring out the window "When are you going to leave?" she asked without looking up.

"Soon, I was just taking in the view," he said.

"No," she said, "I mean completely."

"When they tell me to," he said.


	3. In Which Ginny Cooks Breakfast

It wasn't until six weeks later that Ginny realized how good looking and charming Draco Malfoy really was. He had a strong build and captivating icy blue eyes. His shiny silvery-blond hair fit his face perfectly.

Life was a routine for them there. He'd wake up make a pot of coffee. Ginny would come down and then they would go to her work, where she'd do her work, and he'd do a little of his and wander around the building. Then he'd flirt with the secretary until Ginny noticed and stomped away. Then he'd go out to lunch with some of the office workers, come back and then wait for Ginny to finish and go back to her flat where he usually made dinner. They'd eat and go to bed.

He was determined to break her, but she was hard as a rock. He'd tell her jokes, but she would just roll her eyes. He admitted he _was_ attracted to her. She was pretty and spunky. He liked that. He knew nothing could happen though. For one, he knew she wouldn't let it. For another, she still was a Weasley, even though nowadays they were well thought of in society. He knew she loved his company, deep down, but she'd never admit it. Although his job was a little boring, he actually did love to spend time with her.

She secretly loved being with him as well. But Ginny was a bit more stubborn to admit it. She liked it when he would sit in her office and do his work. She liked to watch him fill out the crossword puzzles on the weekend. She hated it when he would flirt with her secretary. She'd sneer at him all the time. She'd roll her eyes and groan at him a lot.

"Well I've got some good news for you," he said, suddenly, one day.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Looks like my time here will be ending soon."

She looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"Yeah, I got a letter this morning from the office saying they're reassigning me."

"Oh," she said. She was surprised she wasn't happier. This was the moment she had been waiting for, for so long. Draco Malfoy would finally be out of her life. "When do you leave?" she asked.

"Sunday," he said.

"But that's in a week," she said, surprised.

"So…?" he said.

"So... er… isn't that a little soon?" she asked.

"I thought you wanted me out of here?" he asked.

"Yeah. I do... I mean, yeah but-"

"But what?"

"I don't know," she said. "I need someone to protect me."

"They think you were right about the threat all along. It was probably Madam Malkins trying to distract you from fashion week."

"Oh," she said, quietly. He peered across the table at her. "What?" she said.

He shook his head. "Nothing." She sighed and went back to her food.

She woke up early the next morning. She creped down the stairs to the kitchen and was surprised she was up before him. For once _she_ started the pot of coffee. She also decided _she'd_ make breakfast, for _him_. After all, he would be leaving soon. She figured it was something nice she could do for him.

Ginny pulled out the eggs and pancake batter. She had never been a good cook, she had never wanted to learn and had never wanted to try, but that morning she was feeling different. She read the instructions on the box carefully and mixed several different bowls of batter. She turned on the stove and poured the batter on the pan. She waited for it to bubble up and then tried to flip it over with a spatula but it landed on the floor instead of the pan. "Need some help?"

Draco came behind her and took the spatula from her. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I'm not much of a cook."

"I can tell," he said, flipping it over with a flick of the wrist. She blushed slightly. Draco had his shirt off to reveal a lean, muscular body that surprised Ginny. He flipped a few more then separated them on two plates.

"Thanks," she said.

"So what are you doing up so early?" he asked. "Or more importantly, why are you cooking?"

She smiled and shrugged. "I don't know. I just woke up early." She took a bite of her pancake. "These pancakes are horrible," she said wrinkling her nose.

"No kidding," he laughed. "You're a terrible cook."

"_You_ were the one to cook them!" she said.

"I didn't mix the batter!" he laughed. She blushed again.

"Sorry. I don't know how to cook," she said putting her fork down. "I don't eat breakfast anyway." She pushed the plate away from her. They sat in silence for a while. "Draco," she began, "I want to thank you… for everything."

He looked at her, and then looked away. "You don't need to," he said staring out the window. "You don't need to."

"No," she said. "I do."

He looked at her and Ginny thought she saw a flash of regret in his eyes but it disappeared as suddenly as it had come. "It was nothing. Don't thank me."

"Ok, well if you won't let me thank you, let me apologize," she said. "I'm sorry I was a bit rude to you."

He snorted. "A bit?"

"Ok, I'm sorry I was rude to you," she corrected herself.

He laughed. "It's all right. I guess I deserved it, huh?" he asked. "For being an unbelievable prat when we were growing up."

"It's ok," she said. He smiled at her. "Its different now."

"If someone would have told me then, that now I would be sitting in Ginny Weasley's enormously big kitchen half naked, I would have probably hit them, but now here I am." She gave him a small smile.

"Draco, why did you take this job?" she asked.

He looked out the window again and shrugged without speaking. "Why don't we do something today?" he said suddenly.

She eyed him. "You know what I am going to say," she said. "But I'm in a good mood this morning, so let's go before I change my mind." She grinned at him.

There was a small carnival going on in town that they decided to go to. Ginny played games, and Draco won her a stuffed dragon. Ginny regretted not getting to know him better during all those weeks together. She had a great time at the carnival. For once she wasn't worrying about whether colors and patterns clashed or whether the feel of the fabric was too soft or too stiff. For once she could just enjoy herself.


	4. In Which Previous Opinion Is Put Aside

"Why don't we go out to dinner tonight?" Draco asked, as they walked past the carnival booths. Ginny noticed that they were walking close to each other. Her heart pounded when their shoulders brushed every so often.

She smiled. "Sure. I'd like that."

"I know of a good restaurant. You'll have to dress nice, though," he said.

She laughed. "Wait. _You're_ telling _me_ how to dress? Isn't that a little ironic?" He smiled at her and she may as well just melted there. He just looked _so_ good, she thought.

At 8 o clock that night, Ginny came down the stairs to meet Draco in the living room. She was wearing a low-cut long black dress that revealed the soft curves of her body. Her long red hair was down and sat curled on her shoulders and back. "You look nice," he said taking her hand as she came down the stairs.

She smiled. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." He was wearing dress robes and his shiny blond hair was slicked back. Ginny felt butterflies in her stomach when he took her hand. He took her to one of the nicest restaurants in London. People stared, and gawked at them from their tables. It was all attention that Ginny had grown accustomed to, but Draco was alarmed by it. There was a live band at the restaurant and the food was delicious. The chef came out to their table to greet them, or more particularly Ginny.

"I'm not used to all this publicity," Draco said as he poured the complimentary bottle of champagne from the chef into their two glasses. "Its fun."

She laughed. "Its not that great," she admitted. "Trust me."

"Would you like to dance with me?" Draco asked suddenly.

She smiled and nodded. "Sure." He took her hand and led her to the dance floor and they began to dance. "Draco Malfoy, you are just full of surprises aren't you? I didn't know you could dance!" she laughed.

"You don't know a lot of things about me, Miss Weasley," he said spinning her into a dip. She giggled.

Ginny couldn't sleep later that night. She got up and went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She couldn't understand why she wasn't happier that Draco was leaving. It was what she had wanted all along, wasn't it? She went up the other staircase so she could pass by his room. The door was open and the light was on. She hadn;'t been in that area of the house since he moved in. She always seemed to avoid it. She leaned against the doorway and peered in. His suitcases were half-packed full of his belongings.

He was lying on his bed with the crossword puzzle from that morning which he didn't get to finish. He looked at her standing in the doorway. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

She shook her head and walked into his room and took a seat on his bed. He took the glass out of her hand and set it on the bedside table. She laid back and sighed. He looked over at her and ran a hand through her fiery red hair. She looked at him and bit her lip.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he put a hand to her lips. "Shhh…" he cooed. She smiled. He leaned in towards her and gave her a light kiss on the lips. She didn't pull away.

She woke up the next morning with a smile on her face. She looked next to her. Draco was still sleeping. She watched him for a while. She watched his chest rise and fall with every breath he took. He's so handsome, she thought. She grew tired of watching him sleep. She moved closer to him and gave him a small kiss on the lips. His eyes slowly opened. He groaned.

"Good morning," she sang to him.

"I'm tired," he grumbled as he shut his eyes.

"Its morning time," she called again into his ear. She kissed him again and again until he began to move closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. They kissed for a few moments longer. "We have to get up," she said.

"No, we don't," he said, with his eyes still closed.

"Yes we do," she laughed and gave him one last kiss before starting to get up. He pulled her back down on top of him.

"No we don't," he said rolling her over so he was on top of her.

She laughed. "Yes we do!" she cried, smiling. His eyes were open now, and he gazed into hers.

"Just a little bit longer, mummy," he said as he kissed her neck. She smiled, thinking this couldn't possibly get any better.

"Draco," she asked during dinner that night. They had spent the day together in bed, simply enjoying the each other's presence. He looked up, sensing something unfamiliar in her voice. She never called him Draco.

"Yeah," he asked as he put down his fork.

"What can you tell me about Harry Potter?"

He chewed his food slowly. He swallowed then took a gulp of water. "I don't know anything about him," he said quietly.

"Oh cut the crap," she said. "I know you do."

He sighed. "Harry Potter works for a highly top-secret branch. Nobody knows for sure what they do there except for those who work there."

"Is that all you know?" she asked. He didn't answer but took another bite of his food. "Is it?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, there was a rumor going around about him," he said. "They said that he was sent to St. Mungo's."

"What's wrong with him? Is he all right?" she asked, worried.

"I don't know. I don't even know if its true. I haven't seen him for a while, though," he responded quietly. "But whatever it is, its not good, because there's way to much mystery about it."

Ginny nodded. "Oh," she said. She felt kind of empty inside. She had always expected Harry Potter would barge into her house one day with his arms wide open and she would fall into them. But what did she expect now that Draco was here? Even though his job was up, he would stay with her, right?

"Are you all right?" Draco asked later that night as she lay next to him in bed.

"When you leave," she began, "what are you going to do next?"

He didn't respond at first. "I'll have to do whatever they tell me to, I guess."

"Draco, do you have a girlfriend?" she asked, abruptly.

She half-expected him to turn to her and give her a mischievous smile and start to kiss her, but he simply said, "No," in a quiet, uncomfortable voice.

"Will you come see me, after you leave?" was her next question.

Again, he hesitated for a moment before responding. And instead of responding, he moved in front of her staring into her eyes, then he leaned towards her and gave her a passionate kiss. She returned it and put her arms around his neck, running her hands through his hair.


	5. In Which Draco Is Gone

Ginny woke up the next morning by herself. She smiled as she smelt the flower on the pillow next to her. She wrapped the white, linen sheet around her and skipped down the stairs to the kitchen, beaming. Nobody was in the kitchen. There was a cup of coffee on top of a scrap of paper. Ginny picked it up. "Ginny, I'm so sorry… for everything." It read. She scratched her head, confused. She sat down. What was he sorry for? She took a sip of the coffee. It was cold. She went back up to the room on top of the stairs. There was nothing in it. None of the newspapers he had saved. No clothes, no suitcases. Everything was gone. It was empty.

An owl tapped on the window. She went over and unattached the parcel tied to its leg. "Ginny, you need to come to the office," it read. She quickly showered and threw on some clean clothes before leaving. She arrived to her office, confused by all the commotion. People were walking around everywhere. Isn't it Sunday? She thought.

"Ginny! Thank god you're here," Gertrude said.

"What's going on?" she asked, confused.

"They're suing the company."

"Who? Who is? For how much?" she asked. Gertrude shrugged and was whisked away by some other people in the hall.

Ginny walked into her office to find a group of people already in it. Her file cabinet, where she kept all her important paperwork, was opened and papers were out all over the floor. "Miss Weasley. Pleasure to meet you," a man with a deep voice said, sticking out his hand.

"Who are all you? And what do you want?" she asked, looking around.

"Miss Weasley, we have opened an investigation to search your tax papers," a man said. She looked at him blankly. "We believe you have not been taxing your products correctly."

And with that Ginny was shoved out of her office, the door slammed in her face.

It took Ginny weeks to realize what was going on. She called all her staff, to ask them what happened, but they all had no idea. She couldn't understand how it happened. She couldn't figure out who had tipped off the authorities about those things and how they found out the information. The only person who had access to that information was her top consultant, who was being tried as well. All the tax information was kept in a basement in her house. Her business manager claimed he had no idea how it happened. He said everything was in order a couple of days earlier when he had checked, but it was too late for anything now. The authorities had already seized everything and made their conclusions.

Her case was tried before the Wizengamot and she was found guilty of withholding tax and stock information. Ginny who was sued for everything she had. She couldn't believe how this had all happened in a flash. She had to sell her house, her things, and even the company. She paid everyone and was left with nothing. She watched her flat auctioned off, along with her priceless antique furniture. She had to sell her company to another rising one, and she fell underneath the surface. She was left unemployed at her mother's already burdened house.

It wasn't until some months later that Ginny realized what had actually happened. She had been conned. She was conned by Mr. Draco Malfoy who was a master at deceiving. Putting the pieces together, she knew that was what happened. It all made sense. He had snuck through her things and planted in misleading evidence. He had tipped the authority, and he probably worked for the agency that sued her. How could she have been such a fool to think that he'd changed?

Years passed. Ginny got a job at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. She worked there and the pay was half-decent. She brought home money everyday to help out her mother, who was having trouble ever since her father had passed away. She would often daydream about how her life once was. She dreamed it would somehow go back to being the same, with the fame and the fortune. But she knew it never would. She knew that was just a dream. But for a part of her life, she lived a dream that was only a dream in some people's head. She was a critically acclaimed Robe maker and at the top of her career. She had everything and she lived a good life. She had everything, she realized, except for happiness. She realized she never was happy when she was rich. She never had what she had wanted. She never had enough. Until the times she was with Draco Malfoy.

Her life was better now, she thought. It was nice to be with her family more often. They made her happy. Sometimes she'd walk down the street to her old store to see what their new products looked like. She'd gaze at the displays and she'd smile and remember the good life. She'd smile and remember those few weeks that she was happy. But when the handsome face of a man with icy blue eyes and shiny blond hair entered her mind she had mixed feelings. Rage filled her but at the same time so did a sense of happiness.

After fifteen years of working, the old bar owner, Tom, who she worked for, died and left the bar to Ginny who had been working there for six years. After acquiring it, and running it for a few months, she realized she had missed being in charge of things, and felt some contentment with what she was doing. She felt her life begin to change, and although she did not have the money and the luxuries around her like she had, she had other things that made it all worthwhile.


	6. In Which Happiness Is Found

A man walked into her bar late one night and asked for that morning's paper. Ginny handed it to him as she dried some clean glasses. He had a hooded cloak on so she couldn't see his face, but he didn't seem like a danger. He pulled out the crossword section and asked her for a quill. She set a cheap quill and a cheap bottle of ink on the counter in front of him and asked him if he'd like a drink. He ordered a whiskey. She poured him a glass and turned around to attend other customers. He took off his hood and stared down at the page in front of him. He began filling in the squares with the letters to create words down and across.

He spent an hour there in silence, scrawling letters into the boxes, occasionally taking a sip of his drink. Ginny didn't pay much attention to him, as he didn't draw that much to himself. He was one of the few men that came to the bar and didn't try to hit on her. His hair was thinned and wiry. His face was bony, but the face that had once been good looking was still apparent. Ginny was wiping down the counters when she took a good look at his face.

"Three letter word for quill," he muttered to himself stroking his chin.

"Pen," Ginny said. He looked up at her with icy blue eyes. A smirk formed on his face.

He set his quill down to take a sip of his drink, not taking his eyes off her. "Ginny Weasley," he said, finally.

"Hello Malfoy. How have _you_ been?" she asked sarcastically.

He smiled. "Last time I saw you, you were rich."

"Last time I saw you, you had hair," she retorted.

He glared at her, taking another sip.

"Anya, I'm off, remember to lock up," Ginny called to the woman on the other side of the bar, taking off her apron.

"Yes, Miss Weasley," Anya replied.

"Still have them calling you Miss Weasley, huh?" Malfoy said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and didn't respond. She grabbed her coat and made her way to the door. Malfoy put some coins on the table and followed her out the door. She stalked off around the corner and lit a cigarette. She stopped and took a long drag. Malfoy came round next to her.

"I didn't know you smoked," he said.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," she said sarcastically offering him a drag. He inhaled deeply and slowly breathed out.

"So how much did you get?" Ginny asked him, coldly. "I've been _dying_ to know."

"We split it fifty-fifty," he confessed.

"Really?" she asked. "Well that's very impressive." She dropped her cigarette to the ground and put it out with her foot. "I thought you'd be much better off by now. Thought you'd have the money to at least go to an upper class bar. Now if you'll excuse me," she said walking away from him.

"I have something for you," he called after her. She put up a hand to wave him off. "It's about Harry Potter."

She stopped and turned to look at him. She figured it was probably some scam or a joke or something. She turned around and began to walk away.

"He's alive, Ginny," Draco called. "He's in town, in fact." Ginny kept walking. "He's staying at the Mountaineer." She shook her head. "Wait, Ginny, wait." He ran to catch up with her. "Don't you care?"

"No, I don't, Malfoy. You're probably feeding me some lie anyways."

"Ginny, I'm not," he said.

"Draco," she said turning to look at him. "I don't care. I don't believe you," she said slowly, hoping he'd understand. "I do not believe a single word you say and I never will again." She started walking.

"I'm sorry," he said. She stopped this time. He waited a moment before conintuing. "In the beginning, I didn't care. In the beginning it was just another job and you were just someone I went to school with." She bit her lip trying to stop the tears forming in her eyes. "But then we talked a little, you were bitchy to me, but I didn't mind it. I actually had fun."

"But you still took everything away from me anyway. Is that it?" she finished for him.

"It wasn't like that," he said.

"Then what was it like, Draco? What? Please explain because I do _not_ understand."

"It's complicated," he started.

"Whatever," she said and once again continued walking.

"Ginny, wait," he said grabbing her arm, she spun around and their lips met. To Ginny, it was everything the last time was and everything it wasn't. It ws the most magical kiss she had ever felt. But she took hold of herself and pulled away. She bit her lip and looked up at him.

"It can't be like this, Draco," she said. "You lied to me. You deceived me."

"I know," he said. "I'll go. I don't know what I am doing here anyway," he said and walked away. He took a few steps then turned around and walked back to her. "Here," he said handing her a file folder filled with papers. She took it and he walked away. After she couldn't see him any longer she took a look at what he had given her. The words 'Harry Potter' were scrawled on the front.

All of the questions Ginny had of the boy she hadn't seen in 25 years were answered in that folder. She stopped searching through the paper for him, because she knew he'd never be in it. She thought that this would give her some closure, and help her live her life happily. But still she was not satisfied. She wasn't sure what it was that she was missing.

A few months later she glanced at the paper for the first time in weeks. It came daily to the bar, but she never picked it up. Today someone had left it on the counter. In big letters it read 'Con Man Draco Malfoy Finally Sentenced to 25 Years in Azkaban.' She bought another copy on her way home that day. It was the first paper she had bought in a long time.

She took out the crossword puzzle from the back pages. She bought a cheap quill and bottle of ink and sent it with an owl to Azkaban Prison with Draco Malfoy written on the parcel. She smiled as she watched the owl flap away into the distance. And for the first time in a long time she felt a sense of happiness.


End file.
